The story of Our Mother of Perpetual Help is full of mystery, adventure and of course, of miracles. Much of what we know about her was taken from an old plaque in St. Matthew's in Rome dated March, 1499. It is in this church that she found her first home in the West.
The plaque begins to describe that she enjoyed veneration in the Island of Crete for several years. Crete is the largest of the Greek Islands and the fifth largest in the Mediterranean Sea. Even then, the icon had a reputation for being miraculous and it is perhaps this reputation that a merchant decided to steal it from the sanctuary. Some believe that he wanted to save the icon from profanation by the invading Turks, but the document simply stated the he stole it. He was scheduled to set sail for Rome and he hid the icon among his belongings. While out at sea, a great storm befell upon the ship and the crew thought their end was near. They begged for God's mercy to save them not knowing that a miraculous icon was in their midst. God heard their pleas and spared them from destruction. They finally landed in Rome with the icon carefully tucked away in the merchant's wares...
The plaque begins to describe that she enjoyed veneration in the Island of Crete for several years. Crete is the largest of the Greek Islands and the fifth largest in the Mediterranean Sea. Even then, the icon had a reputation for being miraculous and it is perhaps this reputation that a merchant decided to steal it from the sanctuary. Some believe that he wanted to save the icon from profanation by the invading Turks, but the document simply stated the he stole it. He was scheduled to set sail for Rome and he hid the icon among his belongings. While out at sea, a great storm befell upon the ship and the crew thought their end was near. They begged for God's mercy to save them not knowing that a miraculous icon was in their midst. God heard their pleas and spared them from destruction. They finally landed in Rome with the icon carefully tucked away in the merchant's wares...
1 comment:
Dear Devotee,
Thank you so much for creating a blog such as this. I pray that it reaches the ones in need and may they find this as one way to offer their thanksgiving and supplications to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
May you be blessed as well as you keep up with the 'numerous' devotees such as yourself that will flock this site.
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